Dogs have been used to locate missing people for hundreds of years. They are unlikely heroes who are often the ones to save the day. A golden retriever in Tennessee is being branded a hero after aiding in the rescue of a missing toddler.
The pup’s out-of-character behavior was enough to tip off her owner, leading to the discovery. As a result, they were able to get the child to safety before calling emergency services and locating the little one’s family.
The dog knew something was off.
The owner of Zoie, the golden retriever, posted in Reddit’s Made Me Smile community. In the post, owner Brad Schofro shared that his dog Zoie “started losing her mind in a panic and barking like crazy.” Schofro explained that his pup “never barks.” When he went to check on the commotion, he saw “an at most 3-year-old boy.”
The toddler was walking up his neighbor’s driveway into the backyard, but Schofro knew nobody was home. So he checked in with another neighbor who has young children, asking if they recognized the little one. The neighbor didn’t.
Together, the two men tried to talk to the toddler, who “would just shrug” in response. Another neighbor joined them, and while the neighbors took the kid to try and find his family, Schofro called 911.
The owner sprang into action.
“When I called after saying my location and that I found a kid the operator quickly asked what clothing he was wearing and after I confirmed she yelled to someone ‘they found him!’ 2 police officers were there in under 60 seconds,” he wrote.
Schofro explained that the little one had gone missing from a busy area about 30 minutes before. It was about a half mile from Schofro’s house.
He shared that two police officers came to his home to take a report and he told them about Zoie’s alert. The officers praised the golden retriever for her good job.
“It made me beyond proud of Zoie. She is the absolute sweetest dog, and not only can I depend on her for love, but also keeping those around her safe from harm,” Schofro told Newsweek.
“It has made me so beyond happy to know that this amazing dog is living with us and watching out of us and others.”
My dog saved a little kid
byu/tankman714 inMadeMeSmile
Zoie is being hailed a hero.
A representative for the Lebanon Police Department provided Newsweek with a quote about the incident.
“Officers arrived quickly, confirmed the child’s identity, and reunited them with their parent after a medical evaluation. The report does state that the citizen who located the child was alerted by their dog to the child being in the yard. Thankfully, this incident had a good and swift ending,” the representative said.
People had nothing but good wishes for the good girl.
“Zoie deserves a medal and a mountain of her favorite treats and toys. Please give her a pat and a kiss from this internet stranger!” one Redditor wrote.
“As someone with a 3 yr old with limited speech, THANK YOU!!! I can’t imagine the relief they felt! What a savior,” another commenter shared.
“She needs her nails did, a massage, hair, an lashes, than she needs to go to lunch, than to the doggie park, than pup cup than out for dinner, and a nightcap. Perfect hero day,” someone else commented.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
